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Cigar Reviews

Black Works Studio Sindustry Lancero

Written by Jeff Slatton (jefslat) |

June 5th, 2017

There was a smooth dark wrapper and a nice pigtail cap on this Lancero-size cigar. Sweetish Maduro aromas emanated from both the wrapper and foot. An easy clip led to a rather firm draw. The unfinished foot lit easily. I paired the Sindustry with a Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout.

Ventura Archetype Triple-Cigar Profile

Written by Jeff Slatton (jefslat) |

June 1st, 2017

From the Ventura website:

Every Legend Has A Beginning.

Archetype is an exploration of nuance that rewards the discriminating palate with a new line of highly-complex, yet perfectly balanced cigars. Each vitola is artfully crafted with a unique blend of rich, flavorful tobaccos and bound in a pristine wrapper – working in harmony to create an intense, memorable smoke that has no equal.

Archetype is inspired by the work of psychologist Dr. Carl Jung and mythographer Joseph Campbell who defined ‘archetypes’ as the constantly repeating characters who occur in the dreams of all people and the myths of all cultures. Campbell discovered through his study of world myths that the ‘Hero’s Journey’ is a common storytelling arc that has been retold in infinite variations since time began.

Southern Draw Firethorn Toro

I am conducting my first review of a cigar. It will be based on the Southern Draw Firethorn. This cigar was developed at the Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez, and blended by Robert Holt. The price point on this cigar is around $10. In my opinion, however, it should be around $8.

When I first took the cigar out of the cellophane, I noticed the subtle scent of a good Habano cigar. The Toro displayed a mocha chocolate-like color with nice light veins. It had a covered foot, and the construction was fantastic.

A 7-20-4 Double Review Feature

Written by Jeff Slatton (jefslat) |

May 22nd, 2017

A bit of history from the 7-20-4 website:

“Quality still impels its growth.” R.G. Sullivan understood this when he created the famed 7-20-4 cigar and built it into one of the largest cigar manufacturers in the world. From its beginning in 1874, until the Cuban Embargo in 1963, Roger G. Sullivan manufactured the 7-20-4 in Manchester, NH with the principle of making a cigar of the finest quality.

Kurt A. Kendall always had a fascination for old cigar memorabilia, and collected anything he could get his hands on. After years in the industry, he had the idea to bring back the 7-20-4 line.

My sample sported a very smooth Maduro wrapper, and gave off cedar notes from both the wrapper and the foot. I executed a clean clip on the firmly bunched cigar, which then displayed a perfect cold draw with bittersweet notes.

Partagás 8-9-8 Varnished (2003)

On a gorgeous and breezy Florida day, with the temperature hovering around 75ºF, I found myself spending time with my soul mate and beautiful wife. She was the one to suggest smoking a cigar outside. So without further delay, I decided to prepare a little snack, crack open some wine and queue up some music.

A Cigar’s Tale ‘Short Story’ Review XXXII

Written by Nathan Hale (nhale1300) |

April 17th, 2017

In this installment of my column, I’m reviewing a sample from the 2016 IPCPR called Art of War. It’s produced by Viva Republic. The cigar comes to us as a Corona Gorda vitola. It measures 6 inches long by a 47 ring gauge, and costs around $9.50. The wrapper is a Connecticut Broadleaf, while the binder comes from Ecuador and the filler leaves are sourced from Columbia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The wrapper has a dark chocolate color and small veins. It’s capped with a pigtail. The cigar is firm, and I find no major flaws in it. The aroma from the wrapper includes scents of barnyard, tobacco and woodiness. There is a closed foot on this cigar. The cold draw has some peanut, brown sugar, tobacco and salt to it.

The first-third of this cigar has a profile of tobacco, coffee, cocoa powder, dough, cumin and black pepper. The next-third transitions into cocoa, bread, cedar, dried fruit and mixed nuts. The Art of War finishes out in the final-third with notes of black pepper, bread, crushed red pepper, cocoa, coffee, cedar, leather and butter.

La Aurora Preferido Corona Broadleaf

Written by Rob Geyer (Rob G) |

May 1st, 2017

I’ve never been a fan of La Aurora Cigars, with the exception of the 1492 series, which is no longer being made. Even though the 1492 series was taken out of production years ago, cigars in the line are still available, and I can usually get a box of them for around $50 on sale. My favorite sizes in the 1492 series are the Churchill and the Corona. The other La Aurora cigars that I’ve sampled, while usually very well constructed, have never quite satisfied me.

Galano Cigars Selecto Toro

Written by Aaron Handelman (H311oLHD) |

April 10th, 2017

Size of cigar: 6.5 inches long by 52 ring gauge

Truthfully, I hadn’t heard much about this brand until the manufacturer asked Cigar Weekly to complete a couple of reviews. After some research, I discovered that all of the Galano cigars are rolled in Ybor City, Florida, and then transported to Tampa, Florida for ageing and subsequent distribution. According to the firm’s website, the brand focuses on challenging the status quo, offering the finest cigars in the world and embracing excellence.

Toraño Exodus Robusto

Written by Rob Geyer (Rob G) |

April 27th, 2017

A few months ago, I received a number of cigars from Jason Clabaugh (BigO) for the purpose of reviewing them. Unfortunately, life events made it difficult for me to set aside adequate time to smoke the cigars with a critical eye and write reviews. Therefore, these cigars remained in my humidor waiting for an opportune moment. Well, that moment finally arrived.

A Cigar’s Tale ‘Short Story’ Review XXXI

Written by Nathan Hale (nhale1300) |

April 10th, 2017

Today, I am reviewing yet another sample from the 2016 IPCPR called Amadeus, from the Recluse Cigar Company. It is composed of an Ecuadorian shade-grown Grade-A wrapper, a proprietary binder and Dominican Ligero, Viso and USA Pennsylvanian Broadleaf filler leaves. This is a Robusto, measuring in at 5 inches in length by 52 ring gauge. It’s a box-pressed cigar that runs around $7.50.

I initially observe that the caramel colored wrapper is smooth, with seams that are tight and almost nonexistent. There is a bit of sponginess upon my examination. The scents coming off the wrapper include cedar, coffee and cream. The foot brings molasses, cinnamon, leather, cedar, cream, raisin and black pepper. The cold draw adds some salt, peanut and crushed red pepper.